wings
by Sunnycanary
Summary: Hinata constantly wonders what color his wings would have been if he was born like everyone else. But he wasn't. [KageHina. Oneshot. For the KageHina exchange on tumblr.]


**Written for number 27 for the KageHina exchange on tumblr.**

* * *

Because people don't have wings… We look for ways to fly.

_**Ukai Sr.,** Haikyuu!_

* * *

All Hinata wants is to fly outside in the skies. He has spent his childhood watching all the children flying outside his window, doing flips and turns and loop-the-loops, wishing he can be up in the blue, blue skies with them.

Every time he looks in the mirror he frowns at his smooth back, runs his fingers over his shoulder blades and wishes tomorrow he would wake up to find wings sprouting out from his skin. But when he wakes up the next morning his back is as smooth as ever, and he sighs before pulling on his clothes.

He knows he is mocked behind his back, knows he is scorned by people he passes on the streets or in the hallways at school. _Look, he doesn't have any wings_, they say in hushed whispers, as if he can't hear them, _what's wrong with him?_ and he grits his teeth and walks on without acknowledging them, ignoring their shaking heads and their tsking.

But it _hurts_. It hurts that he won't ever be known for anything more than 'that weird wingless guy', it hurts that no one will look past his winglessness and try to get to _know _him, it hurts that everyone avoids the wingless freak.

He's going home from school one day when he sees _him_ on a screen in a shop window. There's a person flying – which is nothing new, really, but what _is_ different is the fabric wing strapped to his right shoulder.

_"__After burning nearly all of his right wing in a fire, the Small Giant takes to the skies once again."_

The man is wobbling slightly, and he seems to be favoring his left wing, but he's _flying_, and flying with an _artificial wing_.

And Hinata can see a future for himself, a future in the blue, blue skies, a future flying in the wind and laughing among the clouds.

No matter what anyone else says, Hinata Shouyou _will_ fly.

* * *

It takes three years. Three years of researching online and in worn-out books from the library, three years of gathering scrap canvases and bamboo from shops and whatever he can find in the garden shed, three years of slowly building and melding and shaping until he has finally finished.

He looks at his new set of wings – a patchwork of colors and not exactly _feather-like_, but as long as it works, Hinata isn't too picky. He slips on the leather straps and plays a bit with the handles attached to his arms.

Finally, he takes a deep breath and runs forwards while flapping his arms, and he knows he looks ridiculous (he certainly _feels_ ridiculous) but all his worries and doubts vanish when he can feel his feet leaving the ground. He's so surprised that it actually _worked_ that he forgets to move his arms and he falls back down again into the bush at the edge of his garden.

His arm and leg aches, and his cheek is stinging, but he doesn't care because he _flew_. Just then, he was _flying in the air_ and it wasn't just a small jump. He could _feel_ himself lifting up. And he's so excited that he jumps up again but then a huge _riiiiip_ fills the air and he freezes.

Hinata slowly looks back, trying not to make any sudden movements, and stiffens when he sees a branch jutting out from his wing. One of his wings is caught on a branch and there's a huge tear in the middle of it, spreading from the center to almost the frame. He carefully removes the straps and pries the torn wing from bush.

This isn't good. When he _finally_ finishes building and and can _fly_, _this_ has to happen to him. He fingers the rip and tries to guess how long he can take to fix this. Maybe a week, two if he's busy.

And after he patches up the rip, maybe he should find someone to teach him how to fly.

* * *

When Hinata sees _him_ his breath is taken away. He is sitting on the top of a grassy slope, his dark wings folded behind him. Even though they aren't stretched out, Hinata can tell they are big and majestic.

"Kageyama Tobio."

The figure stiffens and ignores him.

"Do you know how hard it is to find you?" Hinata plops down next to him on the grass and stretches his arms. "I mean. I've looked all _over_ town for you, but you weren't _anywhere_ and then I find you in the park on the way back home?"

Kageyama finally turns towards him and Hinata mentally does a victory dance. "Do I know you?"

Hinata deflates slightly. "I'm Hinata Shouyou. I want you to teach me how to fly… Please?"

"Why me?" Kageyama narrows his eyes and _glares_ at him. "If this is _another_ joke, I swear…"

"No, it's not, I promise! It's just," he unfolds his wings and gestures to them, and Kageyama's eyes widen ever-so-slightly before returning back to their usual glare, "I was born without wings. So I made my own wings but no one wants to teach me how to fly properly. And everyone calls you the King of the Skies, so I thought you must be good at flying, right?"

Kageyama visibly flinches, and Hinata wonders if he said something wrong. "I haven't flown in a long time," he mumbles, and he looks away, avoiding Hinata's eyes.

But Hinata won't let his hard work go to nothing, so he whines and begs and pleads until finally, _finally_, Kageyama mumbles, "Fine, but don't expect too much."

And then Hinata cheers, because he knows he will be able to fly soon, and he's been waiting his whole life for this moment and now it's _finally approaching_.

* * *

"Why don't you fly and show me?" Hinata asks one day. He thinks he would learn much faster if he can see the actual thing instead of just listening to Kageyama's vague instructions then getting shouted at for getting it wrong.

Kageyama is silent, but Hinata now knows to wait. Finally, he mumbles, "No one wants me in the skies."

"But _I_ do!" Hinata exclaims, and he continues to bother Kageyama. "Come _onnnn_, just show me!"

He turns around and only _just_ misses the small smile gracing Kageyama's face.

* * *

_(later, he finds out from Tsukishima why Kageyama is called the King of the Skies, why Kageyama doesn't fly anymore._

_the next time they have one of their flying sessions, he tells Kageyama he thinks the King is a cool nickname, and he will always be there for him._

_this time, he doesn't miss the grin spreading across Kageyama's face, but he immediately backs away because Kageyama smiling is just _too_ weird, and the world must be coming to an end or something, because the first thing that comes into his mind is _cute_.)_

* * *

"No, not like that." Hinata turns around in frustration as he is corrected _again_. "It's not really a _kwaah_, more like _pwaah_."

"You mean like _gwaah_?" He tries again, this time stretching his arms out more, tilting his wings to the right angle to try and capture as much of the breeze as he can, and this time, when he starts running, he feels himself lifting upwards and his feet leaving the ground and he's _flying_. And not the small hop like when he first tried flying, but actual floating through the air, going higher and higher, until he's almost above the tree line.

Hinata whoops and laughs, the sound ringing through the air, and maybe, _maybe_, he hears a small chuckle a long way away below him, but he can't be sure because Kageyama had never laughed before, and he is so far _away_, and—

He realizes Kageyama had never taught him how to _land_, and now that he is up here in the sky, he doesn't know how to get back down to the ground. Which is sort of a problem, considering that the wings are actually kind of _heavy_ and he doesn't think he can fly for much longer.

His landing isn't exactly graceful – he more or less drops, trying to slow his fall by spreading out his wings – and he tumbles down the hill, like he has done so before when he was learning how to fly.

But this time is different. This time, he is falling from a _successful_ flight, this time isn't jumping then rolling down the grassy bank.

And this time, he finds himself sprawled on top of Kageyama at the bottom of the hill.

Hinata can feel his cheeks burning and his heart is pounding and he can't breathe, but he ignores all that, and before he can talk himself out of it, he leans down and presses his lips onto Kageyama's.

The kiss isn't as good as he imagined (not that he _thought_ about kissing Kageyama before, of _course_ not). Their noses keep on bumping into each other and Hinata isn't sure whether kisses are _supposed_ to be this messy or not, and—

And it's perfect.

* * *

"You're the King of the Skies, you _should_ be able to fly. Come on, I'll go with you."

"I–I… Don't know how to anymore." Kageyama sounds so lost and insecure, and Hinata is reminded of when they first met.

"It's fine, I'll teach you." Hinata squeezes Kageyama's clammy hands in reassurance. "I had the best teacher in the world, so I'm sure I won't do too bad of a job," he adds on with a wink.

And just like that, the tension in Kageyama's shoulders vanish, and his dark wings unfurl for the first time in months. Kageyama looks over to Hinata once more, and he gives him his best smile.

"Don't worry. I'm here."


End file.
